


Walks Along These City Streets

by h_nb



Series: Phoebe [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fear, Held at Gunpoint, Mugging, Powered OC, Superhuman Strength, Whumptober, afraid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26799700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/h_nb/pseuds/h_nb
Summary: Whumptober Day Three: Held At GunpointIntroducing my OC Phoebe
Series: Phoebe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954471
Comments: 8
Kudos: 7
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Walks Along These City Streets

Phoebe walked the desolate city streets, gazing around with watchful eyes and listening with careful ears as she passed alleyways and shady side streets. Her headphones spoke in the soothing tones of a podcast she loved, some meditation or inspiration that she could repeat to herself on nights she couldn't take these kinds of walks.

Hearing the people around her didn't help anyways, it only muddled the signals that entered her brain every second. Fears of those around her jumped into her brain; a young woman brushed past, her fear of being out alone at night speeding her journey home. It flitted out just as quickly, if their voices didn't stick in her mind those fears were gone that much quicker.

She stopped briefly, leaning against a wall and peering down an alley. Two figures stood facing each other, barely visible in the dark. There was fear, suddenly, pulsing into Phoebe's head with a sharpness, someone afraid of dying, of being shot, not making it home. Then the other person, worming their way in with their fears of not making rent, losing their pet... his bird, of not being able to take care of his bird, and not finding another job. This second person feared himself, or what he was becoming.

Phoebe slipped off her headphones to the sound of two voices, stepping into the darkened alley. Her flashlight flicked on, catching the attention of the two in the alley. They turned toward her, and Phoebe caught the shine of something metallic, and it clicked in her head when the safety of the gun clicked off.

She continued to walk calmly forward, flashlight bouncing up at the two in front of her. The first man -- _afraid of dying, going to be shot, won't make it home --_ was shaking, wallet clenched in his outstretched hand as he cringed away from the more imposing man. The second one -- _can't find a job, won't make rent, what'll happened to Jackson, who am I becoming --_ had turned his attention away from the first and now to Phoebe. He was yelling something, and Phoebe had to strain to hear it through the influx of noise in her head.

"Stop where you are, or I'm going to shoot you! Put down your phone, don't you dare call the cops, let me see your hands!" He was rambling, and as she got closer Phoebe could see his hand shaking where it tightened around the grip of the pistol.

Phoebe took a breath, sending an encouraging smile to the man with his wallet out before turning her gaze back to the man with the gun, words spilling from her lips as his fear grew. "I'm not calling the cops, but you aren't going to kill me, you're afraid to really hurt people, you're just scared of not making rent and losing your bird - Jackson." Her breath caught briefly, already knowing she had said more than she should know, but she had caught the man's attention, his fears spiking as Phoebe called them out.

"How do you- what the hell, how do you know stuff like that?" He wasn't lowering the gun; it was still level with Phoebe's chest. Phoebe stared at it, she knew that she was supposed to be afraid of things like these, but all she felt was the fear of those around her, and none of her own.

"I just... do," she murmured, looking at the man with forcibly kind eyes. "There are other ways to get money, file for unemployment, but this... is not the way to do it, scaring other people to try and get what you want? You don't wanna do this." As it always did, the increase of fear around her sunk its hooks into Phoebe's head, rushing through her body, and it was the fear that fueled the unnatural strength that she now held in her muscles, hands twitching ever so slightly with adrenaline.

"Shut up!" Defensive, the man put a second hand on the gun to steady his grip. "I don't care how you know this, whether you're some kind of weird stalker or what- give me the money or I'll- I'll--"

Phoebe's hands rose, not to defend herself but to grab the gun from the man, easily pulling it away from his surprised hands. In her hands, the metal crumpled, the muzzle of the gun twisting to something utterly unusable. She met the man's horrified eyes, holding back a wince as a new fear joined the fray, a strong fear of _who is this stranger how did she do that what is she_.

"Go home," she choked out, metal cutting into her palms. She didn't dare let the gun go. "Go home, take care of your bird, figure something else out. Not this."

The man gaped, staggering backwards before breaking into a run, and Phoebe could only hope that it was towards home.

She let out a relieved sigh, eyebrows still furrowed in concern at the second man. "Are you alright?" she asked kindly, taking a step toward him.

He took a step back as well, eyes narrowing. "What kind of freak are you?"

The words didn't sting. Phoebe licked her dry lips, shaking her head slightly. "I- I'm sorry, I'm just trying to help. Are you- injured?"

"Get away from me! Don't touch me!" The man turned and ran, something falling to the ground as he did.

Phoebe leaned down to pick it up, eyes widening at the wallet in her hand. "Hey- your wallet!" she yelled after him, though he had already disappeared around the corner. She scanned the driver's license, matching the man's face to a Will Newton who lived somewhere across town.

Phoebe pursed her lips as she pocketed it, looking to where the man had left. Risk following him, and get the cops called on her, or worse? Or wait, and mail it to his home anonymously.

She weighed her options, remembering what worse could be.

Phoebe didn't consider herself to be afraid of much, not anymore.

She turned, and walked home.


End file.
